The Chocolate Made Me Do It
by dukeblue
Summary: An H/P Valentine's story.


It was too damn early to be lying awake, and no matter how many times Emily changed position or tried fluffing the pillows beneath her head and along side her, it made no difference.

She groaned and as she looked at the clock on her bedside table.

Just before 4 am.

"Fine, fine. I'm up. Might as well be productive," she muttered as she dragged herself out of bed.

She stood beneath the hot spray of the shower and berated herself on how pathetic it was that she was up at this time of the morning on a Saturday and heading into the office where she would finish up her paperwork and have it sitting in a nice, neat, finished pile on her Unit Chief's desk before Tuesday morning – when everyone else on the team was no doubt still asleep and would be getting ready for a romantic Valentine's dinner that night.

Single, no prospects, virtually married to her job….How did she end up like this? She mused.

She dried off and opted for a casual look of jeans and a well-loved Yale hoodie and her favorite sneakers for this Saturday morning jaunt to the office. She pulled her long dark hair into a pony-tail, taking just enough time to with the hair dryer so her hair was just damp. She tucked her iPod in the pocket of her bag before she headed out the door.

It was just after 5 am when she pulled into the parking garage at Quantico and nodded at the security guard on duty. She headed straight for the elevator banks that would take her to the BAU floor. As Emily walked through the glass doors and into the bullpen, she grinned. She wasn't alone.

Saturday morning, 5 am, and her Unit Chief was seated in her chair, hunched over, and rifling through her desk drawers.

Emily softly cleared her throat. "Looking for something?"

She was still grinning when Hotch sat up, a slightly guilty look on his face. "I know you have chocolate in here somewhere. I needed something sweet, but I couldn't find your hiding place. Sorry."

He moved out of her way to allow her to sit down in her own chair.

She dropped her bag on the desk and shrugged. "I had to hide it from Spencer. He seems to go through my Dove chocolate like water. If I didn't put it away, there wouldn't be any left for me." She grinned.

"What are you doing here?" He looked up at the clock and back at her.

"Couldn't sleep. Figured I would finish my paperwork, less to do Tuesday."

Hotch nodded absently, still surprised to see her here at this hour. "Well, I'll be in my office, then, working on my own pile of paperwork." He turned to walk away, and it was then that Emily got her first really good look at Aaron Hotchner in something other than a suit.

Her mouth went dry as she watched him head up the stairs toward his office, the well-worn denim of his jeans hugging his long legs, slim hips and…. She shook her head before she let herself complete that thought. _Was I just ogling my boss? Damn, I must need coffee. _

She got up from her desk and called after him just as he turned the corner into his office, "I'll bring you some chocolate from my stash."

He turned back to grin at her, dimples in full force, before disappearing into his sanctum.

She retrieved her coffee from the break room and settled once more at her desk, before glancing up at Hotch's office again and shaking her head. Her boss had long been a major player in her dreams, but seeing him in those jeans….that was going to fuel her fantasies for months on ends.

She pulled out the paperwork she'd set aside before leaving the night before and got started.

When she'd finished the first folder, she opened her bottom left desk drawer and dug for the small lock box she kept there to keep her good chocolate away from Spencer. She took out the bag of Dove Valentine candy and grabbed a few along with the folder and went up the stairs to Hotch's office.

She leaned against the doorjamb of her Unit Chief's office and just watched for a few seconds. He was deep in concentration, pen in hand and soft music playing from the iPod dock in the bookcase behind him. It was a new addition for him, and she just smiled.

He caught her. He glanced up to see her in the doorway.

When she saw him look up at her, she walked toward him and handed him the folder with the candy on top. "As promised."

"Thank you," he said with a smile, allowing her a rare glimpse of his dimples.

"You never did say what you were doing here so early," she said.

"Same as you. Finishing up paperwork."

"At five in the morning on Saturday," she quipped.

"Pot, kettle."

"Touché," she retorted. "I'll be downstairs with my iPod showing up Morgan who is no doubt still in bed asleep," she said as she headed out of his office and back to the bullpen.

As Hotch opened one of the chocolates she'd brought him, he thought of how she looked in those jeans she was wearing, how they hugged her curves like she was born to wear them. He shook his head. _You really need to stop thinking of her like that. She's your subordinate. _But it wasn't the first time she'd entered this thoughts…or his dreams. He popped the piece of smooth milk chocolate in his mouth and glanced down at the wrapper. His eyebrow cocked at the saying inside.

'_**Listen with your heart.'**_

He took the last drink of coffee from his cup and went to get a refill. As he walked down the stairs and past her desk, he noticed she had her earphones in and was listening to her iPod. He gestured with his cup, questioning if she needed a refill. She shook her head no and mouthed 'Thank You' with a smile as she went back to her paperwork.

He'd finished going through one more pile of folders, signing form after form and approving expense after expense, before she made her second appearance in his office. This time she'd brought the coffee pot with her. Her other hand held two more folders.

"I figured you'd need a refill about now," she said, a twinkle in her eye. She laid the folders on his desk and reached for his cup. He glanced at the clock and realized that it was already after seven.

"Thank you," he said, as she poured the steamy brew into his mug. "Are you hungry?"

"Um, yeah. I could do with some real food. Man cannot live by chocolate alone, right?" she said.

"Okay, I'll order in. My treat," he said. "Any preferences?"

"Pancakes or French toast. Whatever they have on special today," she said. They always ordered from the diner down the street from the office, and she loved breakfast food in general – pancakes and French toast being her favorite.

Hotch placed the order, notified security that the delivery was coming, and texted her that food was on its way.

She replied that she would set up in the conference room so they could eat there when it arrived.

He couldn't help himself. It made him smile. It was almost like a first date.

While he was waiting he picked up the first folder she had brought in and opened it to sign off on the reports she had finished. Inside there was a foil wrapper from one of her Dove chocolates. He smiled at the saying inside.

'_**The best things in life are chocolate.'**_

That sounded like something Emily would say.

Breakfast arrived half an hour later, and soon after they were enjoying banana nut pancakes and thick sliced bacon with folders piled beside each of them. Emily had brought her bag of Dove chocolate in along with a fresh pot of coffee.

Together they ate and worked, occasionally moving files from her pile to his and brushing fingers along the way.

When Hotch had finished his breakfast, Emily, who had already finished, cleared the containers and silverware out of the way. "Thank you for breakfast. I love their pancakes."

"You're welcome. You don't have to clean up after me, you know."

"Hey, you bought, remember."

"Fair enough," he said. "How much more do you have?" He gestured to her files.

"About three."

"Well that should get you out of here in time to get ready for tonight. Big plans? It is Valentine's Day."

"Not unless you call big plans curling up on the couch with a movie or a book and a cup of tea," she said. "What about your plans for tonight, no Jack?"

"No, Hayley and Charles took him to Boston to see his folks for the long weekend," he said, a pensive look coming over his face at the mention of his son. "If we're in town next weekend, we'll spend it together, try to do something fun together."

"I'm sure he'll love whatever you do. He's a great kid, Hotch. And you're a great dad."

He smiled at her encouraging words. It was nice to hear once in a while that he was good at something other than his job. "Thanks." He reached for another piece of chocolate from the bag that sat between them on the table. He opened it and slipped the confection in his mouth before reading the saying on the foil. This one was even more prophetic than the first one.

'_**Do something spontaneous.'**_

The corner of Hotch's mouth curved up as he read the inside of his chocolate wrapper. Even more quickly, he folded it and set it aside.

"They're almost like fortune cookies," Emily said.

Hotch nodded. The wheels were turning, wondering if he should do what he was thinking.

"More coffee?" Emily asked.

"Huh? Sorry," he said.

"I was just wondering if you wanted more coffee," she said.

"Oh, um, no thanks. I've reached my limit for today. I think I'll switch to water," he said, getting up to get a bottle of water from the vending machine. As he did, she watched him move, again admiring the way he filled out his jeans. She popped another chocolate in her mouth, reading the saying in her own foil wrapper and smiling.

'_**Share a secret.'**_

She finished up another folder and pushed it toward his side of the table as he came back over.

"Can I tell you something?" she asked, deciding to get a little more personal with him than she would normally. It was just the two of them, so no witnesses to her possible humiliation if her attempt at getting closer failed miserably.

"Of course," he said, intrigued.

"I think you should go casual more often. It looks good on you."

He laughed out loud, not expecting that. "Well thanks, I think."

She grinned, glad she could make him laugh. "It's not often we see you out of the suit jacket and tie. This is downright non-Hotch."

She was flirting with him; it took him a minute to realize it. She was starting slow. He decided to kick it up a notch and take his "fortune chocolate's" advice.

"I'll keep that in mind. Maybe casual Friday isn't such a bad idea," he said, his eyes twinkling a bit as he answered her.

She arched an eyebrow in surprise at his response. He was teasing her, flirting back. His next move was more surprising.

"So you said you didn't have plans for tonight? I find it hard to believe that a beautiful, intelligent, successful, single woman doesn't have her pick of offers for the most romantic night of the year."

Emily rolled her eyes. "Yeah, the gun and badge are such a turn on. That and my predictable schedule make it so easy on the dating scene. What about you? You're a handsome, single guy. No dates for you, either?"

There was his opening.

"I guess that depends on you, Agent Prentiss."

Emily choked on the coffee she was sipping as her eyes widened. "I'm sorry?"

"Since neither of us have plans, I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner with me tonight?" There. That was pretty spontaneous. Not something he hadn't thought of in the past…who knows how long she'd been invading his sub-conscious. But spontaneous enough in the realm of Aaron Hotchner.

He waited for an answer. A reaction. Anything. But she did nothing but stare at him.

Until a slow smile spread across her face. "I'd love to."

"Really?"

She nodded. "Really."

"Great. I'll pick you up at 7 then?"

"I have a better idea. How about we stick to my original plan and stay in. That way we don't have to fight the Valentine's dinner crowd and do the whole dress up thing. We can stay casual-Hotch, order in and watch a good movie."

"Perfect. How about I bring pizza? Your place at 7?"

She smiled. "I'll see you then. I'll have wine ready."

"7 it is."

Emily gathered up her things and left the conference room, turning back at the door. "See you tonight, Hotch."

He nodded. "Tonight."

That night found the two of them sharing a pizza and a bottle of wine while curled together on her couch. They talked and laughed through a pay-per-view movie neither found very interesting. Instead they were focused more on sharing stories and thoughts and getting to know each other better on a personal level.

Hotch took her hand, lacing their fingers together.

"You know," Hotch said. "I wasn't sure about this, but I'm glad I decided to go for it."

She looked up at him, seeing the earnestness in his eyes. "I am too. What finally made you decide today was the day?"

As he leaned in for their first kiss, her murmured, "The chocolate made me do it."

The END


End file.
